justiciar

justiciar
justiciarship, n.
/ju stish"ee euhr/, n.
1. a high judicial officer in medieval England.
2. the chief political and judicial officer in England from the reign of William I to that of Henry III.
3. justiciary (def. 2).
[1475-85; < ML justiciarius JUSTICIARY]

* * *

▪ medieval law
      early English judicial official of the king who, unlike all other officers of the central administration, was not a member of the king's official household. The justiciarship originated in the king's need for a responsible subordinate who could take a wide view of the affairs of the kingdom, act as regent when the king was abroad, and on other occasions take charge of those matters with which the king had no time to deal. From the very nature of his office his position was superior to that of any household officer.

      Although William I (1066–87) was known to have appointed men to hold such authority while he was in Normandy, their offices had always ended on his return to England. During the reign of Henry I (1100–35) an increase in administrative specialization is thought to have lent his Justiciarius some authoritative position among royal judges. Henry I also appointed local justiciars to attend Crown business in particular local areas. After 1162, when Thomas Becket (Becket, Saint Thomas) was appointed archbishop of Canterbury and resigned as chancellor and chief minister to Henry II (1154–89), the justiciar became the most important man in the kingdom after the king and played a central role in the centralization of justice in English legal history.

      As the volume of judicial work grew each year owing to the popularity of Henry II's reforms, the justiciar presided over the bench of judges at Westminster, organized the judicial circuits, heard difficult pleas, gave advice to judges on innumerable points of law, and toured the country to see that the administration was properly conducted. When the king was abroad, the justiciar also raised money for the king's needs and saw that peace was maintained. After the loss of Normandy in 1204, however, the king spent more time in England, and the office began to lose some of its strength. Although it regained appreciable power during the reign of Henry III (1234–58), the office ceased to exist after 1261.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Justiciar — Justiciar, en la Inglaterra y Escocia medieval, también llamado el Jefe justiciar y posteriormente conocido simplemente como Justiciar, fue un título aproximadamente equivalente a un primer ministro moderno como el ministro principal de un… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Justiciar — Jus*ti ci*ar, n. Same as {Justiciary}. [1913 Webster] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • justiciar — (De justicia). tr. ajusticiar. ¶ MORF. conjug. c. anunciar …   Diccionario de la lengua española

  • justiciar — [jus tish′ēər] n. JUSTICIARY (n. 1 & 2) …   English World dictionary

  • Justiciar — In medieval England and Ireland the Chief Justiciar (later known simply as the Justiciar) was roughly equivalent to a modern Prime Minister as the monarch s chief minister. Similar positions existed on the Continent, particularly in Norman Italy …   Wikipedia

  • Justiciar — Im mittelalterlichen England und Schottland war der Chief Justiciar (später nur noch Justiciar) in etwa ein Äquivalent zum heutigen Premierminister des Vereinigten Königreichs: des Königs oberster Minister. Der Begriff stammt aus dem… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Justiciar — Dans l Angleterre et l Irlande médiévales, le Chief Justiciar (appelé plus tard Justiciar) occupait des fonctions semblables à celle du premier ministre du Royaume Uni en tant que ministre en chef du roi. Des postes semblables existaient sur le… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • justiciar — ► verbo transitivo Declarar culpable o imponer una pena a una persona. SINÓNIMO condenar * * * justiciar (de «justicia») 1 (ant.) tr. *Ejecutar a un ↘condenado. ≃ Ajusticiar. 2 *Condenar. * * * justiciar. ( …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Justiciar of Scotia — The Justiciar of Scotia (in Norman Latin, Justiciarus Scotie ) was the most senior legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. Scotia (meaning Scotland) in this context refers to Scotland to the north of the River Forth and River Clyde …   Wikipedia

  • Justiciar of Lothian — The Justiciar of Lothian (in Norman Latin, Justiciarus Laudonie ) was an important legal office in the High Medieval Kingdom of Scotland. The Justiciars of Lothian were responsible for the administration of royal justice in the province of… …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”